Sharjeel Imam, one of the accused in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, has informed the Delhi High Court that he is completely disconnected from all co-accused persons and has no involvement in any conspiracy or related meetings as alleged by the Delhi Police.
These submissions were made by Imam's counsel, Advocate Talib Mustafa, before a division bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur, which is hearing Imam's bail plea in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
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Mustafa emphasized that, as per the prosecution, Imam’s alleged role in the riots is limited to January 23, 2020. The last overt act attributed to him by the Delhi Police is a speech he delivered in Bihar.
The counsel argued that Imam was present in Delhi only until January 15, 2020, and there are no accusations of him being part of any conspiracy meetings between January 2 and 15, 2020, apart from sending a few speakers to protest sites.
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Referring to the allegations that Imam drafted pamphlets, delivered speeches, organized the Shaheen Bagh protest, and participated in chats on the MSJ WhatsApp group, Mustafa pointed out that these are part of another case (FIR 22 of 2020), where Imam has already been granted bail.
Mustafa further asserted that the chat records recovered from Imam’s mobile phone do not show any communication with the other accused persons, proving his complete disconnection from them.
"I am the only one disconnected with the co-accused persons," Mustafa argued on behalf of Imam.
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Additionally, the counsel highlighted that there was nothing in the MSJ WhatsApp group chats that even remotely indicated any intention on Imam's part to incite violence in Delhi or any other part of India. He stated that the group was only active until January 15, 2020.
Mustafa dismissed the prosecution's claim that Imam was connected to Umar Khalid or Asif Iqbal Tanha. He described this allegation as being based on a witness statement recorded six months after the FIR registration, aimed at falsely connecting Imam to the other accused.
The counsel argued that there is no evidence of any message in the WhatsApp group suggesting hate speech or communal animosity. He maintained that there was no communication showing one community acting against another.
Highlighting Imam’s continued custody for over five years, Mustafa requested the court to consider his bail plea with compassion, citing his role as the sole breadwinner of his family, which includes his elderly mother.
The court has now scheduled the matter for further hearing on May 21.
Case Background
The Delhi High Court is hearing the bail pleas of several accused, including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, Athar Khan, Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima.
The case is based on FIR 59 of 2020 registered by the Special Cell of Delhi Police under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Among the accused in the case are Tahir Hussain, Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Ishrat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Athar Khan, Safoora Zargar, Sharjeel Imam, Faizan Khan, and Natasha Narwal.
Title: Umar Khalid v. State and other connected matters
